Monetization and Distribution Strategies for Online Content

A survey by Parse.ly (a data analytics company) found that 27% of news outlets in the US dedicated most of their resources in 2016 to improving their monetization strategies. Publishers across MENA are facing the challenge of digital monetization and the impact is visible in the closure of Assafir newspaper in Lebanon and 7Days in Dubai. With the rapid growth in mobile, video, and on-demand content, publishers are revisiting their strategies for content distribution, while looking for new advertising technologies that can attract and retain advertisers.

Digital Manager at Discovery Networks Jad Yammine, Innovation Director at M&C Saatchi Jimmy Ghazal, and Deputy General Manager at Diwanee Maha Nizam came together at ArabNet Beirut to discuss the best practices for content distribution and monetization. Below are some of the key learnings and highlights from the discussion:

Platforms First, Content SecondWith multiple platforms and new products everyday, creating and distributing content that goes well with every platform can be a challenge. Distribution today is no longer a secondary layer to content creation, but rather one of its major components.

Content vs. AdvertisingContent marketing has a much bigger impact on consumer’s minds, and thus is becoming more important than advertising in relaying content. Content marketing focuses on storytelling, with the goal of satisfying certain ‘pain points’ of the targeted audience and not selling products directly.

Cross-Platform Content CreationWhen it comes to choosing platforms, brands must leverage the platforms where their audience is as well as the platforms that bring the most traffic to their website. These are the platforms that need to be invested in. Platforms must also be chosen based on the form of the content and what a brand is trying to get out of it.

Recycling ContentThere are many things that can be done with every single piece of content, including those that don’t work, as there is always a lesson to learn. Repurposing content not only plays a role in creating new original content but it is also a means of getting older content on the radar of new targets and readers.